Great Basin Naturalist

Volume 36 | Number 4 Article 1

12-31-1976 Late vertebrates of the Silver Creek local fauna from north central Utah Wade E. Miller Brigham Young University

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Recommended Citation Miller, Wade E. (1976) "Late Pleistocene vertebrates of the Silver Creek local fauna from north central Utah," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 36 : No. 4 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol36/iss4/1

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Volume 36 December 31, 1976 No. 4

LATE PLEISTOCENE VERTEBRATES OF THE SILVER CREEK LOCAL FAUNA FROM NORTH CENTRAL UTAH

Wade E. Miller^

Abstract.-- Presumed paludal and alluvial deposits in a small mountain basin in north central Utah have yielded tlie first terrestrial Pleistocene fauna from the state. Twenty-five mammalian and four nonniammalian are present, most of which have not previously been reported as fossils from Utah. At 6,400 feet the elevation of this site is much too high to have been part of the Lake Bonneville deposition. Three , Ovis, Syrnbos, and Bootheriuni, not existing in the present fauna, have been identified in the northern part of the state. They probably did not reach this area until later in the Pleistocene or else favored more rugged terrain. Previous reports of the Woolly

Mammoth. Mammuthus primigenius. from Utah are considered to be in error. M . columbi is probably the represented species. A so-called giant bison. Bison ? latifrons. is represented in the fauna by rela- tively numerous specimens. The variation in size of these elements strongly suggests that the size range between the largest males and smallest females was much greater than previously assumed. Most faunal constituents and current topography suggest that the Late Pleistocene habitat at the fossil site was a marsh encircled by a brush-interrupted grassland. The rare remaining faunal components were evidently part of a distant wooded community. A slightly moister but no colder climate than the present one is postulated on the basis of the fauna. Radiocarbon dating establishes a time for the Silver Creek local fauna in excess of 40,000 YBP. The particular combination of extinct and extant species indicates a Late Sangamon to Early Wis- consin age.

With the exception of some small fish the Bonneville Group. According to Bis- faunas from Lake Bonneville sediments sell (1968:3), the maximum elevation of (Smith et al. 1968), essentially only iso- Lake Bonneville was about 5,200 feet. At lated vertebrates have previously been that time the present fossil site was 14 recorded from the Pleistocene of Utah. miles east of the eastern shoreline. These include a few Oi'is skulls that Numerous Pleistocene vertebrate faunas have been reported by Stokes and Condie have been described from the Great (1961). This paper is the first report of Plains and West Coast, but relatively few a relatively extensive vertebrate assem- have been described from the Rocky blage of Pleistocene age from the state. Mountains and Basin and Range. The Accordingly, many taxa here reported present faunal assemblage is considered have not previously been identified as significant since it adds information about fossils in Utah. The name Silver Creek Late Pleistocene vertebrate distribution for local fauna has been applied because the 29 taxa in a Rocky Mountain location fossil assemblage was discovered at Silver close to the Basin and Range. Creek junction where Utah Highway 40 It was due to the generous offer of Mr. joins Interstate Highway 80. James H. Madsen, Jr., of the University The best known and most extensive of LTtah Department of Geology and Geo- Pleistocene deposits in Utah are those of physics, that the Silver Creek local fauna Lake Bonneville. However, surprisingly and existing data were made available to few vertebrates have been found in them me. Permission for its study was kindly to date. As the present fauna was recov- granted by Dr. William L. Stokes, past ered at an altitude of 6.400 feet, the con- chairman of that university's Department taining deposits are too high to belong to of Geology. Through the kindness of these

'Departments of T^ology and Geology, Brigham Young University, Provo. Utah 84602.

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two men a representative collection of the of most living mammalian species listed Silver Creek local fauna will be kept at in this study were essentially the same as Brigham Young University as well as at those that they currently occupy.

the University of Utah. Mr. Allan .1. Points of measurement used for bison Lewis, owner of the property from which in the included tables are the same as the Silver Creek local fauna was collected, those illustrated in Miller (1971:60-72). is greatly appreciated for his wisdom and Measurements of Bison antiquus ele- kindness in reporting the fossil deposit ments used in the present tables are from and donating all specimens subsequently the largest males in the Rancho La Brea recovered from" it to a responsible institu- fauna from the Natural History Museum tion. Mr. Lewis also donated the services of Los Angeles County. Most of the com- of a backhoe and an operator to aid in parative specimens of fossil species used fossil recovery. Federal aid salvage funds were also from this fauna. Additional (Project Number L80-[23]144) were ad- comparative material of extinct species ministered through the Utah Department used was from the collections at Idaho of Highways in support of fossil excava- State University. Recent specimens from tion. the collections at Brigham Young Uni- Mr. James H. Madsen, Jr., directed the versity, the University of Utah, and the removal of fossils from the Silver Creek Natural History Museum of Los Angeles site and was assisted by Robert Bolland, County were used in comparison with Michael Stokes, Brent Lordes, and Megan the species found at Silver Creek that Friedland, all students from the Univer- have living representatives. sity of Utah. These and other students Dental nomenclature applied in this re- helped prepare the fossils. A. Dean Stock, port is generally from the follovsdng graduate student in zoology from the Uni- sources: Bryant (1945), Hibbard (1959), versity of Utah, made tentative identifica- Peyer (1968), Skinner (1942\ and Stir- tions of some of the small mammals ton (1959). at the time of excavation. Additional preparation of the specimens was done Abbreviations and Symbols Used by Mrs. Sharen Campbell of Brigham Young University. The index map was BYU Brigham Young University BYUO Brigham Young University osteological drawn by Mr. Artie Lee and the illustra- — collection tions were made by Mr. Howard Brown, LACM— Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Miss Wendy Babel, and Miss Lorna Raty, County all of Brigham University. Young IJUVP—University of Utah vertebrate paleon- Gratitude is also expressed to Dr. David tology collection P. Whistler and Dr. Donald R. Patten of Y Rancho La Brea specimens from the Natural History the Natural History Museum of Los Museum of Los Angeles County YBP- before present Angeles County, Dr. John A. White of cf. Compares with (appears before a taxon when Idaho State University, Dr. Donald V. an identification was based on limited material) Hague of the Natural History Museum ( ) Approximate measurement of Utah, and Dr. Wilmer of W. Tanner # A. taxon not previously reported as a fossil the Life Science Museum of Brigham from Ut